Cultural Festivals and Events
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New Zealand’s cultural calendar is as rich and varied as its mesmerizing landscapes. Across the country, from the rugged coasts of the South Island to the volcanic heart of the North, festivals are held year-round that celebrate Māori heritage, Pacific Islander pride, Kiwi creativity, and global influences.
This is more than just a nation that respects its traditions - it lives and breathes them. New Zealanders celebrate in song, story, dance, and community spirit, often with a uniquely Kiwi twist. Whether you're planning a short trip or an extended journey, aligning your travel with these festivals offers deep cultural immersion and unforgettable experiences.
Held each March in Auckland’s Western Springs Park, Pasifika Festival is the world’s largest celebration of Pacific Island cultures. Over two vibrant days, the park transforms into a colourful village of 10 “islands,” each representing a different Pacific nation - Samoa, Tonga, Fiji, Niue, and more.
Expect rhythmic drumming, sizzling street food, traditional tattoos (tā moko and tatau), and bold dances like the Siva and Haka. It’s a sensory explosion that honours the cultural richness of the Pacific, while also showcasing Auckland’s position as the world’s largest Polynesian city.
Every two years, Te Matatini gathers the best kapa haka (Māori performing arts) groups from across Aotearoa for a multi-day national competition that’s part sport, part cultural pilgrimage. Performances combine haka, waiata (song), poi, and storytelling with precision, power, and pride.
For Māori communities, Te Matatini is more than a stage - it’s a celebration of whakapapa (ancestry), tikanga (customs), and language. For visitors, it’s a spine-tingling entry into Aotearoa’s Indigenous heart, offering a deeper connection to its people, past, and spirit.
The World of WearableArt is no ordinary fashion show. Held annually in Wellington, this boundary-pushing event blends couture, sculpture, theatre, and storytelling into a jaw-dropping spectacle. Designers from around the world submit creations that defy gravity, convention, and sometimes even description.
Expect glowing wings, metallic gowns, insect-inspired armor, and futuristic masks, all choreographed to light, music, and dance. It’s part high art, part wild imagination - and a perfect reflection of Wellington’s status as New Zealand’s creative capital.
Matariki marks the Māori New Year, celebrated with the rising of the Pleiades star cluster in the winter sky. Once a community-based event, Matariki is now a national holiday and a growing cultural movement that honours remembrance, reflection, and renewal.
Celebrated in June or July, Matariki festivals include celestial storytelling, dawn ceremonies, hāngi feasts, and fireworks. From small town gatherings to large city festivals, it’s a time when whānau (families) come together, and the entire country pauses to reflect on the past while setting intentions for the year ahead.
Held every two years, the New Zealand Festival of the Arts in Wellington brings together local and global artists across disciplines - dance, theatre, music, poetry, and visual arts. For three weeks, the city becomes an open-air stage, hosting everything from classical symphonies to contemporary Māori performance art.
What makes this festival special is its commitment to biculturalism and storytelling. It invites audiences into conversations about identity, land, language, and imagination. Whether you're catching an avant-garde performance or a pop-up concert in a courtyard, the NZ Festival is thoughtful, bold, and brilliantly Kiwi.
If the streets could dance, they would at CubaDupa. Every March, Wellington’s quirky Cuba Street turns into a kaleidoscope of colour, sound, and celebration. From circus acts and samba bands to fusion food trucks and drag performances, CubaDupa is the capital’s wildest weekend.
It's a creative, inclusive, and joyfully chaotic street party where anything goes, and everything belongs. Locals dress up, performers spill into laneways, and stages appear in the most unexpected places. It’s spontaneous, surprising, and distinctly Wellington.
For a festival that truly captures New Zealand’s bold spirit, head to Hokitika each March. The Wildfoods Festival is a one-of-a-kind celebration of wild, weird, and wonderful kai (food). Yes, there are whitebait fritters and venison burgers - but also huhu grubs, mountain oysters, and wasp larvae ice cream.
Beyond the daring menu, the festival offers live music, themed costumes, and a dose of West Coast eccentricity. It’s proudly unpolished and hilariously Kiwi - a reminder that sometimes, the best way to understand a culture is to taste it.
New Zealand’s cultural festivals are windows into its soul - rich in mana (honour), whakapapa (ancestry), and aroha (love). They’re where ancient traditions meet bold creativity, and where locals welcome visitors not just as spectators, but as part of the celebration.
From the powerful haka of Te Matatini to the starlit reflections of Matariki, these festivals don’t just show you Aotearoa - they let you feel it. Planning your travels around one is an invitation to connect, celebrate, and carry a piece of New Zealand’s heart with you long after you leave.